Former Danville Community College (DCC) Chemistry Lab Assistant and Senior at Halifax County High School, Frida Hernandez, has been accepted to Amherst College in Massachusetts and has been awarded the prestigious Gates Scholarship, a prize awarded to less than one percent of applicants.
“Science has always been one of my favorite subjects in school, along with math,” said Hernandez. “I love being able to find an explanation for why the world functions the way it does, and even if we don't have the answers now, we can work towards them.”
Now, that favorite subject will become a college major and future career for Hernandez. She credits her love of chemistry to the teachers who have provided unique opportunities to immerse herself further in the field. One of these teachers, Lanette Spencer, offered Hernandez a lab assistantship at Danville Community College. Spencer is also a professor at DCC.
“Mrs. Spencer is hands-down one of the best teachers I've had,” said Hernandez. “Her apparent passion for the subject made her lessons more enjoyable and interesting. One of the most meaningful experiences I had in high school was volunteering with Mrs. Spencer the summer after my junior year. I knew that she taught the same chemistry class over the summer at DCC since she had mentioned it in class. She agreed to allow me to set up the labs and answer any questions the students had in class.”
Spencer feels similarly about Hernandez’s enthusiasm for chemistry and was thrilled when she learned that she would have a lab assistant for the summer.
“Frida is one of those students who makes teaching so rewarding,” said Spencer. “It's exciting to be able to instill my love of chemistry in one of my students. When she asked if she could help with my chemistry labs last summer, I was super excited for her to experience another aspect of chemistry. I was also surprised that a high school student would want to drive over an hour each day during summer vacation to prep chemistry labs. She was a tremendous help, not only to me, but also with my students. She willingly jumped right in and helped answer their questions. I am so excited for the experiences Frida has ahead of her!”
Her experience at DCC inspired Hernandez to continue her pursuit of academic excellence and, ultimately a career, in Chemistry.
“Volunteering at DCC has had a huge impact on my career path,” said Hernandez. “While I had been considering majoring in Forensic Chemistry, after working in a lab for most of the summer, I decided that I always wanted to be surrounded by chemistry. I loved being in a lab and immersing myself in a subject that I loved. After taking Dual Enrollment Chemistry through DCC, I have come to realize my passion for the subject, and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to work there over the summer.”
Hernandez plans on majoring in chemistry at Amherst College in the fall and ultimately hopes to pursue a graduate degree in chemical engineering.
Danville Community College is a two-year institution of higher education under the state-wide Virginia Community College System. DCC's service area includes the City of Danville, Pittsylvania County, and Halifax County. For more information about the college’s nearly 100 programs of study, visit www.danville.edu.
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